Farewell to My 1st Pair of Hoka’s

It’s always hard to say goodbye to a pair of well-worn running shoes and for me, it’s really difficult, especially when the pair of shoes has been worn so many times that it has practically molded to the shape of my feet. So much so, that slipping into it instantly feels like second skin.

Farewell, my sweet Fuschia Pink Odyssey 2

Most experts will tell you that you have to replace your running shoes after 400 to 500 miles or 640km to 800km as the soles will have lost their cushioning and much of it's resilience or protection for your feet. 

However, for little Miss Sensitive Me, I always let my feet and leg joints do the job instead, in telling me when it’s time to stop running with that pair, even if the mileage is less than the recommended 400 miles. If I don't listen to my body signals, I will be putting my feet and legs at risk of an injury. 

Horrors!!! I have almost reached the 640km mark after running with this pair for 8 months!

So, finally, after 8 months of regular usage since I first got the Hoka Odyssey 2 in May 2016, lately, my poor feet, hamstrings and joints began to scream in protest during and after every run and I knew then, that it’s time to bid farewell to this pair of shoes.

A quick check at my gear dashboard shows that I have indeed recorded 630++km worth of mileage with the Odyssey 2. No wonder my legs are starting to send me signals!

So it's always good to keep track of how much mileage one has ran with a particular shoe, using whichever means is preferable to one. Be that manually recording it in a training journal or storing running workouts electronically online or offline.

As I sadly retire the Odyssey 2 to convert it into a pair of walk-about shoes instead, I take a moment to reflect on the good times training with it for my 1^st 50km race, and running with it on my recovery runs.

Farewell my dear Odyssey 2! I will always remember that you served me well!